“Today, Artificial Intelligence is Iran's top priority in the field of technology.”

The first Vice President at the 14^th International Smart Grid Conference at Khatam University:

“Today, Artificial Intelligence is Iran's top priority in the field of technology.”

“Today, Artificial Intelligence is the top priority in the field of technology, and according to the Supreme Leader's order, we must be among the top 10 countries in the world in this field.” Dr. Mohammad Reza Aref, the first Vice President of Iran, mentioned at the 14th International Smart Grid Conference held by Khatam University.

According to Khatam University’s public relations and website department, the 14th International Smart Grid Conference (SGC2024) began on Tuesday, January 2, hosted by Khatam University, in cooperation with the Iranian Society of Smart Grid (ISOSG).

On the first day of this conference, Dr. Mohammad Reza Aref, the first Vice President of Iran and founder of the Iranian Society of Smart Grid, attended the event and visited its side exhibition, and was also informed about the latest construction status of Khatam University's campus within the Pardis Science and Technology Park.

At the beginning of his speech at the conference, while appreciating the efforts of its organizers, he referred to Khatam University, which hosted this scientific event, as "a university that was formed with good intentions and with an eye on the next decades," and praised the motivation of its stakeholders to complete the Khatam University campus construction project. “Fortunately, the track record of our scientists and professors in the scientific and technological fields is very brilliant and significant,” he said. “Of course, if we review the role of various groups in the development and progress of this country over the past four decades, we see that the university and academics have made a prominent contribution to this growth.”

The first Vice President, while emphasizing the country's growing trend in the fields of higher education, postgraduate education, and research and technological fields, stated: “We must ask the question of whether we have sufficiently utilized the existing capacity? In my opinion, this issue is debatable and there have been various circumstances, and perhaps the bureaucracy that governs our administrative system has not given much opportunity to utilize these valuable capacities. Of course, sometimes external obstacles have slowed down the work; but it has never stopped the process of technological progress.”

“In this regard, if necessary, we must move towards structural reform and understand how to utilize and exploit the talents of outstanding young people who graduate, and answer the question: What excuses cause our youth to emigrate?” Dr. Aref emphasized.

He also pointed out the sense of patriotism of this group of young people and reminded: “Based on my over forty years of experience, I can say that many of our young people who go abroad never forget their attachment to their homeland. In order for these capacities to become active, they need an organization, but not a governmental one. One solution that the world has come up with and we have used well is scientific organizations. Specifically, since the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the role of non-governmental organizations in the development of technologies has been unparalleled, and in this direction, the role of governments must also be a facilitating role.”

Emphasizing the importance of the private sector's role in this regard and stating that non-governmental organizations have played an important role in the country over the past three decades, the first Vice President reminded of the necessity of empathy between universities and industry for the country's progress and added: “Today, no teacher gives their students the essay titled "Science or Wealth, which one is better?", and contrasting science and wealth is a completely unscientific task. Science should be able to help improve processes and create welfare for all members of society.”

Dr. Aref, while reiterating his appreciation for the efforts made by the scientific associations in the country over the past decades, emphasized: “We must answer these questions: Has the necessary platform been provided for the work of these associations in the country? And have they been able to play their role comprehensively?”

He then addressed the issue of imbalances in the energy sector, especially in the areas of electricity and water supply in the country. Pointing out that, for example, the per capita water in our country, which is an arid country, is 260 liters, almost twice that of Europe, which is 140 liters, he reminded: “We must ask ourselves whether our scientific societies also have a role in managing high consumption? Of course, such issues are abundant in different parts of the country and require further investigation.”

Emphasizing the position of technology in the country's upstream documents, the first Vice President said: “In these documents, technology is the country's main priority, and today Artificial Intelligence has the first priority in the field of technology, and according to the Supreme Leader's order, we must be among the top 10 countries in the world in this field. Therefore, we must use Artificial Intelligence as a strategy to implement our programs.”

Dr. Aref, while considering the research as positive, added: “However, there should be no parallel work in the field of implementation, and there should be a national and coordinated division of labor in this field. Today, we are faced with the declaration of the second step of the revolution, more than 80 percent of whose missions and directions are aimed at academics. But how prepared are we really to enter this valuable strategy?”

He emphasized the need for the independence of scientific organizations and stated: “The Ministry of Science or the Organization for Company Registration should not interfere in the affairs of scientific associations or obstruct the work and elections of councils or the statutes of these associations. These issues must be resolved and the role of scientific associations as the government's thinking arm in organizing affairs must be clarified. The relevant agencies should welcome the fact that scientific associations want to take on the burden that is on the government's shoulders; not prevent it.”

Subsequently, in the presence of the first Vice President, Dr. Mehrdad Abedi, a pioneer professor in the field of electrical machines and power systems were honored.

At this conference, Dr. Majid Ghasemi, the chairman of the 14th conference and president of Khatam University, expressed his satisfaction with the presence of the first Vice President at the Conference hosted by this university and pointed out that this conference is being held at a time when we are facing the most difficult conditions in the field of energy supply in the country. He also delivered a speech on the energy imbalance and the need to invest in clean energy.

Reviewing upstream documents in the energy sector, including the general policies of the resilience economy, general energy policies, the Seventh Development Plan Law, and the Consumption Pattern Reform Law, he listed the main challenges in the energy sector in Iran as the high energy intensity index, low productivity, imbalance in production and consumption of energy carriers, inefficient energy optimization mechanisms, the proliferation of relevant institutions in this sector, and the emergence of numerous inconsistencies and large demands from energy supply companies. The president of Khatam University also emphasized the need to provide a platform for the private sector to participate and invest in renewable energy supply as one of the ways out of this situation.

At this conference, Engineer Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, CEO of Tavanir Company, in a speech on the topic of overcoming electricity shortages by making the electricity distribution network intelligent, said: “The energy crisis is not unique to Iran, and in different countries, issues such as inefficient infrastructure, population growth, inability to store and utilize renewable energies, and energy waste are causing such a crisis.”

He considered the low electricity tariff rate in Iran and the avoidance of relevant officials in various governments from making this tariff realistic as the causes of high and excessive electricity consumption, especially by household subscribers, and said: “In Iran, more than 35,000 megawatts of the country's electricity consumption is on air conditioners and cooling devices, and this is while we cannot move towards reforming the electricity tariff and are forced to launch campaigns and campaigns aimed at reducing and reforming the consumption pattern, of course, we are not dissatisfied with their results.”

Tavanir CEO stated that by moving towards making the electricity distribution network smart, they have been able to identify 24 million subscribers out of a total of 32 million home meters and have targeted them with thier messages in the campaigns they have launched to save a little on electricity consumption. In just one year, 1.32 million air conditioners have been added to the existing air conditioners, which is exactly the same amount of 3 million new subscribers, which is considered an overload for the energy distribution network in the country. In conclusion, Engineer Rajabi emphasized the need to utilize intelligent tools and smart operators to solve the problem of electricity imbalance in the country.

On the first day of the conference, a specialized panel was held, chaired by Dr. Alireza Fereydounian, on the topic of "Sustainable and Smart Development Infrastructures for the Economy, Information, and Distributed Partnership to Compensate for Energy Shortages," with speakers including Dr. Majid Ghasemi, Dr. Mahmoud Fotuhi, Dr. Ahmadi (from Tavanir Company), and Engineer Alireza Sadeghabadi, CEO of Pasargad Energy Development Company.

Dr. Ghasemi, the conference chairman, emphasized the need to pay attention to energy economics as an interdisciplinary field in the Ministry of Science's programs and announced Khatam University's readiness to strengthen and develop this field.

Referring to the status of the top 5 countries in the production of various types of energy in the world, he said: “In recent years, due to the destructive environmental effects and use of fossil fuels, especially in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the desire to use renewable energies has increased. In this regard, Pasargad Energy Development Company is ready to take serious steps to produce renewable energies.”

Dr. Mahmoud Fotuhi, the scientific secretary of the conference, also stated that the electricity grid, as the backbone of other infrastructures, must always be stable and that any interruption in it can hinder the growth of a country. He said: “Unfortunately, we are facing a low rate of production of power plants' capacity, equipment fatigue, and an increase in the energy intensity index in the country. With this trend, it is predicted that the electricity imbalance will reach 37,000 megawatts by 2035.”

He considered that the solutions to these problems would be reducing energy consumption intensity, investing in and increasing the capacity of power plants, and eliminating the income/cost imbalance in the electricity industry.

Dr. Ahmadi, who was present on this panel representing Tavanir Company, in a brief speech considered the elimination of energy imbalance to be a matter of public determination and said: “The electricity industry alone cannot handle the elimination of energy imbalance, and some parts of it are fundamentally beyond the control of the electricity industry.”

Also, Engineer Alireza Sadeghabadi, CEO of Pasargad Energy Development Company, stated in this panel: “Solving the problem of imbalance requires a change in approach to production management; moving from fossil power plants to solar power plants. Another point is that investment in the renewable energy sector must be attractive to the private sector, and the government can play an important role in this regard.”

The conference programs continued on the second day (Wednesday, January 3) with sessions, expert panels, and numerous lectures. The first speaker on the second day was Dr. Vahid Vahidinasab, a researcher in the field of energy, who spoke about the growing trend of production and use of electric vehicles (especially focusing on the case of the United Kingdom) and the global trend toward the use of renewable fuels in general.

“In 2019, in line with various programs to combat air pollution, a law was passed in the UK Parliament that aimed to achieve zero carbon, and after that, a promising trend began in the sharp decline in the price of electric cars, which led to a significant increase in the tendency to purchase and use these types of cars,” He stated.

Vahidinasab added: “With the facilitations that resulted from the implementation of this law, the situation progressed in such a way that the production of renewable energies and products that work with these energies became cheaper than fossil fuels; so that today, in many countries, the use of wind and solar energies has become the first priority.”

The energy researcher emphasized: According to statistics, in 2023, one out of every five cars sold in the world was electric, and the trend of manufacturing this type of car is increasing. Currently, China is the top producer of electric cars, followed by the European Union, and Norway is at the top of them. According to statistics, 95 percent of cars sold in this country in 2023 were electric. According to forecasts, there will be about 1.2 million electric cars in the world by 2050.

He also said about the situation in Iran: “In Iran, we are slowly entering this field, and the annual installed capacity of solar power plants is also changing and growing. Of course, most of the energy in our country is supplied by gas and liquid fuel, and gasoline vehicles still have the upper hand in production and sales. For example, and based on statistics, the main source of pollution in Tehran, about 60 to 70 percent, is the transportation network, and less belongs to power plants.”

In the continuation of the programs of this scientific conference, a panel on the topic of technological infrastructure, distributed generation, electric vehicles, and virtual power plants in the smart grid was held with the presence of a group of experts and researchers in this field. Dr. Alireza Fereydonian, a member of the Smart Energy Grid’s Scientific Association, was the first speaker of this meeting about the limits of the smartness of the energy grid, saying: “The question is always raised: how smart? And from where it will be too much?”

“The reality is that we have to pay for each new factor added to a smart system, for example in our own home, and in many cases, we may forgo the benefit. On the other hand, due to lack of trust in smart systems, we usually decide not to use them. In the field of smartization, we are faced with a wide range of approaches, both in terms of autonomy (automatic and system-free) and at the level of functions,” He added.

Also in this panel, Kiana Etemadi, a researcher in the field of energy and smart city and a doctoral student in urban planning, stated that the concept of smart city was first proposed globally in 2013, adding: “A sustainable smart city consists of two categories: increased efficiency and sustainable development, and this means that the city must be in a way that can cover the technological needs of the current and future generations.”

She mentioned successful examples of sustainable smart cities in the world and added: “In the field of energy efficiency; Amsterdam in the Netherlands, in the field of citizen-centered innovation; Helsinki in Finland, in the field of low-carbon public transportation; Copenhagen in Denmark, in the field of the wide-ranging network of energy consumption regulation boards; Zurich in Switzerland, in the field of mobility and sustainability; Turin in Italy, and in the field of supporting the local economy; Barcelona in Spain, are considered successful examples of sustainable smart cities at the global level.”

Etemadi added: “If we want to take a step in this area in Iran, we are facing challenges and shortcomings, including lack of local capacity, low community participation, financial constraints and investment challenges, cultural changes, lack of an agenda for legal processes, problems related to achieving interoperability and standardization, and the lack of up-to-dateness of many urban planning and management processes.

Continuing this panel, Engineer Khalaj, a researcher in the field of energy, also spoke about the concept of a smart city and stated that the most important indicator for evaluating the success of smart city programs is the experience of the city's users, and reminded them: “Unfortunately, this is exactly what we neglect or are indifferent to or pay little attention to, and the situation becomes such that smart city programs go one way and the demands of citizens and, in fact, the main users, go another way.”

“We must separate the coordinates of the two layers of governance and non-governance. The governance layer should only have a legislative and regulatory role and accept the realities of supply and demand needs in the city and help remove obstacles. For example, in the issue of smart homes, the governance layer should implement policies related to energy consumption in a way that reduces the cost of users and pay attention to the micro-economy and take into account the economic situation of different families,” he added.

Dr. Vahid Vahidinasab, a researcher in the field of energy, also stated in this panel: “In my opinion, being smart is meaningful and important when there is the possibility of controlling a number of factors. Of course, the experience of smart city citizens in the implementation of smart city programs is also very important, but ultimately, we must see these factors in their role in managing energy consumption; how much convenience they create in matters and to what extent this convenience is measurable from the perspective of the microeconomy and also the national economy?”

The programs of the 14th International Smart Grid Conference continued with the presentation of papers accepted by the jury, in the form of oral and poster presentations, and were followed by the closing ceremony, in which Dr. Abdullah Shamisa, Director of the Electrical Engineering Department at Khatam University and Executive Secretary of the conference, first presented a report on the activities carried out to hold this event.

Stating that planning for this conference began in cooperation with the Iranian Smart Energy Grids Association in February 2024, he referred to the history of this scientific event, the first session of which has been held since 2012, and then said: “The 14th International Smart Grid Conference (SGC 2024) was held over the past two days in 16 areas and with 6 panels.

According to the secretary of the conference, a total of 143 articles were submitted to the secretariat of the 14th International Smart Grid Conference, of which 84 were accepted after initial reviews, and ultimately 9 articles were selected as the best articles by the final jury.

The 14th International Smart Grid Conference (SGC 2024) concluded with the introduction of the winners and the presentation of awards to them, as well as appreciation for the participants of the scientific and executive committees of the event.

It is recalled that, simultaneously with the 14th International Smart Grid Conference (SGC 2024), workshops, side exhibitions, top thesis competitions and the electricity market, and the technological event "Technological Ideas in the Field of Smart Energy Grids" were also held with the presence of academic and industrial experts and related organizations.